Not Only In Lisbon Are They Talking About Teacher Tenure

Teacher tenure is under increased attack

By Elizabethe Holland, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Posted Jan. 23, 2012, at 7:01 p.m.

  

ST. LOUIS — If teachers in Missouri feel as though their job security is under attack, they’re not alone.

Efforts to abolish or chip away at teacher tenure and erode collective bargaining have been popping up across the country, most recently with the filing last week of an initiative petition that would eliminate tenure for new teachers in Missouri.

The petition comes on the heels of a year that saw an unprecedented number of legislative efforts to rewrite teacher tenure laws, according to one national education policy expert.
“Last year was a sea change,” said Kathy Christie, vice president for knowledge and information management with the Education Commission of the States, based in Denver.

The organization tracked 18 state legislatures that had modified some element of their teacher tenure or continuing contract policies. Among the most notable was Idaho, where legislators enacted a bill banning tenure for new teachers and other certified employees.

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